There's Something About the Girl

Hosting three people like a hotel was not high on Harvey's list of things he wanted to do in his lifetime. However, he knew he needed to shield the fox until she was stronger, and he didn't want to send Ukko away, who was now sitting next to the fire, cross legged, staring at his potential new mate. Shuule was being comforted by the feeling of home laying in Set's coils, and had fallen asleep - but this was a true sleep, rather than being unconscious from physical exhaustion.

Set continued to stroke the girl's red hair, brushing it with his nails, when he started to put his affairs in order.

"She needs her clothes," he stated. "This was her second favorite pair and they're ruined."

the exhausted Harvey nodded, and then looked at Ukko, who had not absorbed that this was now potentially his responsibility, also.

"You can't smell anything, right?" Set asked.

"I CAN smell!" exclaimed the eagle, frowning.

Set rolled his eyes. "Can you scent out and track where I came from, get to my cave, and retrieve what we left there?

Ukko was silent, looking down at the floor and tracing lines between dirt particles.

"No."

The men sat in silence again. The easiest solution would be for Set to go himself, but he was not about to offer up being away from his mate, especially when she did not have his mark on her yet, and he didn't know if he would be granted access to the city once he returned.

"I need to speak to the king," Harvey finally decided. "She will live. We have to see what he will do with her - and you."

Responding to the angry hiss in the corner, he put his hands up once more, "I'll see if I can get one of the females in his family line to come with him, he will be kinder. Actually...." His mind wandered, then made the decision. "I'll find his daughter."

---

Anna was not Edgar's daughter by blood, but was the first child of his spouse, Molly. If beasts could not scent out familial lines, they would have just lied and said she was his, as the timeline would have matched up perfectly, and she was a tiger female, but unfortunately, that would never be able to hold up to the best noses in the city. She was a product of assault, her mother snatched away by a rootless tiger Molly had punished for taking advantage of her even earlier, as an adolescent.

Anna was blessed to be born female, as males "born rootless" were looked down on nearly as badly as the rootless themselves. If Molly's first pregnancy was a litter of cubs, they wouldn't have had a father to watch over them, and they would have most likely perished with little thought from anyone, including their own mother. The circumstances were still a thorn in Edgar's side, as he had only managed to have one litter with Molly in their years together, which was a birth of four males. Anna and Molly

themselves were the actual bloodline of the villages' first ruler, who followed Winston, the former Tiger King, obediently until he vanished with Bai QingQing - and while bloodlines were far less concerning to the beastmen than who won battles for the throne, it still gave them an elevated status to start their lives. Edgar's status was first propped up by becoming the first legitimate spouse of Molly, and then by fighting for the throne once he became a four striped male.

By noon, Harvey was able to retrieve both Edgar, Anna, and Anna's strongest spouse, Iro. The day was pleasant, and cooler, and they chose to take a leisurely walk in human form from the orchard to Harvey's home, which would give the doctor time to explain his curious case and what had been decided to do with the feral snake.

"The girl - Shuule - is definitely devoted to him," Harvey confirmed, nodding firmly. "I didn't press her about how she came under his care, but she wants to stay with him."

"Aye! But why aren't they mated then?!" exclaimed Anna.

"That wasn't my concern," Harvey answered. "And she is still weak. There's a lot for her to take in. And I have to tell you, sir, before you meet her -"

The one eared tiger, dressed in a dark green cotton knee length skirt, cut him off. "I've decided if he wants to stay here - if she wants him to stay here - they need to be mated. Immediately."

"She's weak, Edgar. And what if she wants to leave?"

Edgar growled, narrowing his brow. "No. She took one of our crystals."

"She wasn't awake to comply!" howled Harvey. "We aren't in the business of keeping women captive!"

Edger stopped walking, folding his arms and puffing himself up, bearing his fangs. "We used to be. We used to forcibly take females from their villages. We USED to barter salt and goods with and for females. There's nothing stopping us from doing it again, and I am telling you, she stays here. I don't care if Ukko even thinks he'll follow her back into the woods like a vulture stalking a dying rabbit. She stays right here."

"But, sir -"

"WHAT about this do you not understand, and am I your King or not, Leopard?" Edgar was in a full out snarl, single ear pulled down to his skull, eyes alight. "I'm offering a stranger woman, a snake, and her eagle spouse housing and entrance into the strongest, and ONLY city in the land known to us. Enough!"

Anna, in a pale blue fox two piece, looked over nervously at Harvey, who was nearly on the ground in submission. Iro Stood squarely next to his mate, unbothered by the scene and annoyed his time was being used for whatever this walkabout was.

"Yes, yes, you are my King, Edgar. It will be as you say."

The Tiger King snorted, then continued walking briskly down the path as the crowd parted for him. Picking his eyes up out of the dirt, Harvey scrambled after him.

"You need to know something urgent about her sir!" he continued, trying to get the formidable male to listen without taking his throat out.

Now at the king's side again, the doctor took Edgar not cutting him off as an allowance to continue speaking.

"She can change into a fox."

Anna squeaked, reaching out and gripping Iro's hand. The whole entourage now stopped in its tracks to stare down Harvey.